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Vaul Units
Ground Cog Cogs are the workhorse of Xel'Naga manufacturing and mining forces. Relatively simple in appearance, Cogs are more complex than any construction machine ever created. Cogs come in three parts: the head, the connector, and the base (Halo: Constructor; Star Trek TNG: Echo Papa 607). The Head create buildings by digitizing materials and reintegrating them on ideal areas using molecular rearrangement. Cogs are able to morph part of their heads and bodies into any tool they require for construction and maintanence purposes (Star Trek TNG: Exocomp). Cogs mine by first blasting through rocks then levitating useful ores with a gravition beam. Like all workers, Cogs are not very big on attack strength and can easily be destroyed if left alone against stronger enemies. The true power of the Cog is its ability to morph itself into a powerful firearm or attachment and combine to virtually any type of unit. This type of interfacing improves processing and adds extra power to the combined unit (Transformers: G1 - Megatron and Binary bonding, Armada - Mini-Cons). While interfaced, Cogs take no RAM from Diodes which frees up space to construct more combat oriented technology. Should the interfaced unit be destroyed, Cogs immediately eject and seek out the closest friendly unit to interface with. The only downside of interfacing is that it prevents users from employing their own auxillary abilities. Special abilities: *Interface/Eject - combines with a friendly unit to add +15 ground/air attack and +50 Shield Points. If interfaced unit is destroyed the Cog survives, but must recharge shields. Interfaced units can not use normal abilities while combined, except in certain cases Nimrod When the Xel'Naga where at peace, all war machines were decommisioned. They were either retasked to commercial operations, such as repair and maintenance, or sent into cold storage due to the cost of material salvage. Due to the age of these robots, they were hardly fit for combat against even one of the three Koprulu powers. Because of these drawbacks, the Vaul had to completely overhaul the Xel'Naga military machines. Despite the Cog's good points, hundreds of battle simulations projected their resilence in long term engagements to be inadequate. Against the Protoss Zealot, the Cog would be cut in half before it scraped the enemies HPs. Pitted against large numbers of Marines or Zerglings, a single Cog would last 3.27 seconds max. Noting the effectiveness of the Terran's versatility and tenacity, the Vaul decided that they needed an infantry unit that could adapt in battle and be strong enough to handle a Protoss Zealot in both strength and stamina. For these reasons the Nimrod-series trooper was created. Nimrods are based off Terran servo servants combined with Protoss cybernetics technology. Due to the humanoid structure of their endoskeletons, they can utilizing all forms of Terran and Protoss weaponry and armor. This gives Nimrods limited infiltration capabilities in Terran military bases (Terminator: Series 800; Star Wars: Commando Droid; Mass Effect 2: LOKI Mech). While resilent to most forms of conventional weaponry, Nimrods are further protected with Cerberus Trooper armor hybridized with technology used for Project Gestalt. Due to constant industrial espionage involving alien technology, Nimrods easily pass themselves off as a rogue Terran faction with stolen alien technology. For defense, their plasma shielding is on par with High and Dark Templars allowing them to take at least one hit from a warp blade before dissipating. Unshielded, Nimrods are roughly equal to a Hydralisk in endurance. Each unit is armed with a standard photon rifle to engage enemies on multiple fronts. Coupled with advanced targeting sensors, Nimrods easily outperform Ghosts in long range assaults. To increase longevity in battle, Nimrod armor can be enhanced with electro reactive plating. When activated the armor assumes a dull metallic grey color as all weapon and shield energy is transfered to the system. Nimrods cannot move in this form, but the process increases armor density to the point where most conventional weapons cause minimum damage (Warcraft 3: gargoyle; Marvel: Vision). Used correctly, they can form artifical walls or choke points to limit enemy movement, which is useful against zergling swarming tactics. Special abilities: *X-Phase - unit gains +3 armor, but cannot move and has no shields. X-Phase can be cancelled by ordering unit to move Ronin Thanks to the Nimrod-series, the Vaul had the same ability as the Terrans when it comes to a versatile ground and air attacker. Though the series was effective against most Terran and Zerg light infanty, the Vaul began development of a melee unit to stand up against the more powerful Protoss infantry. In simulation, Nimrods could never take on a Zealot one-to-one unless interfaced with a Cog. Unfortunately, interfacing all their basic units would take too much resources away from research and construction of more powerful units and structures. To address this problem the new Ronin-series sentry was made. Ronins use similar components as Nimrods, but are much more heavily armored and shielded. Based off modified Battle-bots and Protoss infantry armor, Ronin look like a cybernetic Zealot without hair. The heads of Ronins have a V-shaped visor that can track enemy units in multiple spectrums (Knight Rider: K.A.R.R.). Each unit is usually armed with two enhanced psyblades, called Giga-Blades, to match the Protoss and Zerg in melee combat (Warcraft III: Demon Hunter). Developed with more advanced Xel'Naga focusing technology, Xen-Blades use Khaydarin crystal technology to amplify the cutting power of each blade with cosmic energy. Coupled with their cybernectic strength, Ronins use their blades to slash through heavily shielding and armor as easily as if through air. Composed of Xen Metal, Protoss Psi and Warp Blades need extra effort to cut through these powerful weapons. In terms of sophistication, the Ronin A.I. is not the most advanced compared to higher level series. However, it is capable of learning and adapting to new situations like a Terran brain (possible even faster). Because of this, Ronins can hold their own against multiple opponents with their advanced cybernetic reflexes and strength while still being able to compensate for any unknown threats. Using advanced matter-energy conversion technology, Ronins can fragment themselves into three equal parts (Dragonball Z: Tri-Form; Naruto: Shadow Clone Technique and Splitting Technique; Universe at War: Blade Trooper). Because of the division of materials, each part is study as Firebat and has the attacking strength of a Marine. Although this greatly weakens the unit, it heightens the chance of overwhelming much stronger opponents such as Zealots by turning a one-on-one battle to a three-on-one free for all. This allows Vaul forces to triple their forces while saving time and resources for researching higher level technologies. Special abilities: *Fragment - unit divides into three equal Fragments. Each Fragment has 25 HPs, 25 Shield Points, 6 normal attack, and +2 speed Maverick You may have seen them before. They are the first Vaul series to interact with the three Koprulu races. In the early stages of observation, the first Mavericks were lifelike replicas of the native Koprulu fauna. Most people see a Bengalaas or a Kakaru when they encounter a Maverick. They were equiped with transporters similar to the ones used by Protoss infantry. In the event of capture or distruction, they disappear in the same psi-flash that dying Protoss do. To prevent enemies from getting curious about disappearing Critters, the Maverick's flash modifies the memories of any nearby organisms and robots as hallucinations or computer errors (MIB: Neuralyzer). The main purpose of the Maverick is to gain intelligence and cripple enemies before they can muster up a significant retaliation force. Currently, most of the Mavericks have infiltrated the deepest positions in the Terran and Protoss ruling bodies. Some have given technologies to commercial and research companies in order to gain a foothold in the two cultures. Now that they have gained plenty intel from the first war, they are ready to unleash the full might of the Protoss, Terrans, Zerg, and Xel'Naga. More humanoid Mavericks were constructed after the animal ones. These newer model of Mavericks look vaguely humanoid made of liquid metal (Terminator: T-1000/T-X; Beast Wars: Protoform; Stargate: Human form Replicator). Using nanites, holograms and force fields, Mavericks can perfectly MIMIC the biological structure of infantry units. Even the most advanced detectors cannot tell the difference between them and the real thing. For personal defense, Mavericks can shape their nanites into blades or claws for hand-to-hand situations. Keeping Detectors from seeing through their Mimicked forms requires energy which prevents users from recharging. Once their energy is depleted Mavericks revert back to their original form. Maverick nanobots can perform other effects depending on the amount of Psionic energy they have been imbued with. One of which is the creation of a hybrid psionic-nanotech virus designed to affect biological, mechanical and psychic targets alike. Usually deployed as a concentrated nanotech blast, the virus RAVAGES victims by destabilizing their molecular structures (DC Animated: Brainiac). Affected units or buildings often appear to have multiple glowing green cracks or scars all over them as if they would shatter from a solid attack (Mass Effect 2: Renegade Shepard). The virus also makes it impossible for those affected to regenerate health, shields, or energy. Reinforced Neosteel frames and hardened carapaces instantly become sturdy as poor quality glass after being hit (Warcraft III: Eredar Warlock). This makes Mavericks very effective in preparing enemy bases for invasions. At higher settings, Mavericks can initiate a NANITE PURGE of an area disintegrating everything in its wake (The Day the Earth Stood Still - 2008: Gort). Due to the indiscriminate nature of its programming, the purge devours anything wheither they are cloaked, burrowed or not. Using the materials gathered from the target area, Nanite purges will not end until there is nothing left or an equally powerful ability cancels it out such as an EMP Shot or Psionic Storm. Special abilities: *MIMIC/REVERT (Autocast) - copies an enemy ground unit. Base defeses and detectors can not tell the difference from the mimic and the real thing. Unit can not recharge while transformed. Reverts back if hit by enemy spell or if unit energy is depleted *RAVAGE - affected units or structures take double damage from attacks and cannot regenerate health, plasma shields (if present), nor energy for 30 seconds *NANITE PURGE - deals 50 damage (+50 vs armored) to target area per second for 10 seconds. Burrowed and Cloaked units are reveal. Effect can be canceled by area of effect abilities Lamprey Despite their resilience, Vaul forces could not stand up to the other races in prolonged combat without support units. While Interfacing does provide a wide range of abilities, it is limited by the number of units constructed and RAM needed to maintain them. Quicksilver is limited to the range of a psionic matrix, so units outside of bases must rely heavily on plasma shield regeneration after receiving heavy damage. To rectify these flaws, the Vaul modified and repurposed Protoss maintanence machines into support robots designated as Lampreys. Based off data gathered on Defiler anatomy and Reaver schematics, Lampreys are mobile manufacturing plants resembling metallic worms roughly the size of Hydralisks (Terminator - Salvation: Hydrobot). If forced into direct combat situations, Lampreys can defend themselves with a small mining laser. Though not as powerful as the more battle oriented series, the lasers are very effective against most forms light infantry. Should this prove ineffective, Lampreys simply use the lasers burrow like most ground based Zerg strains and wait until back up forces arrive. Modifying Reaver technology, Lampreys can deploy WIDGETS to repair allies in battle. Each Widget surround itself with a nanite aura to repair multiple units at once. This is very effective when used in tandem with several smaller infantry units such as Ronins that have fragmented. Simulations have shown that this type of combo can easily outlast Zerg swarming tactics and Terran fire support. Because Vaul buildings use Quicksilver for repairs, Lampreys can focus on maintaining more mobile forces on the battlefield. By tapping into energies of Khaydarin crystals, Lampreys can create a short lived creature of pure energy capable of jumping into machines and living beings. Discovered while researching ways to copy Protoss Archon formation, these creatures appear as electrical zerglings with lightning for their lower limbs. While possessing something, the creature's high energy overloads the host's circuitry or nervous system instantly paralysing them (Transformers: Kremzeek). Once stunned, the creature immediately seeks out another host before its energy runs out. Very effective against airborne targets, these creatures can even force Battlecruisers to crash leaving them vulnerable to ground assaults (Warcraft III: Crypt fiend). Designated GREMLINs from Terran Myths, the creatures cause tremendous levels of carnage when placed in clusters of workers or large fleets. All these abilities require large amounts of energy to activate and maintain. To increase power efficiency, Lampreys can alter their equipment to SIPHON nearly anything into more usable forms. Although ineffective against regular enemy forces, targets with limited lifespans are easily drained to nothing when siphoned. Lampreys can also counteract Zerg infections on structures making it easier to repair damage (Warcraft III: Destroyer). Siphoning is even useful in negating attacks such as Psionic Storm and Fungal Growths. This makes Lampreys ideal for crippling enemy support forces. Special abilities: *Burrow/Unburrow - unit burrows into the ground and becomes invisible to enemies without Detectors *WIDGET - deploys a mobile HP regenerating device. Widget lifespan = 130 seconds (if not healing allies) *GREMLIN - creates a short lived creature that jumps from enemy unit to enemy unit stunning them for 20 seconds. Air targets are forced to the ground and can be treated as ground units. Gremlin lifespan = 100 seconds *SIPHON (autocast) - drains all forms of energy in an area and recharges unit by +50 points. Summoned units are destroyed. Special attacks that deal ≤ 100 damage are negated Dynamo With the creation of the Nimrod and Ronin series infantry units, the Vaul felt that they could focus on support vehicles to increase the effectiveness of there ground forces. One role that needed to be filled was a scouting unit that could get in and out of combat zones with minimum damage and detection. In their observations with the Terrans, the Vaul found high speed vehicles such as Vultures and Hellions to excel at hit-and-run tactics. Enemy forces would scrabble everywhere to find and stop these units from doing too much damage. Once enemies could retaliate, the scouting party would be long gone causing carnage elsewhere. Using data on scouting vehicles, the Vaul developed the high speed Dynamo attack cycle. Resembling an armored motorcycle, Dynamos harass enemy ground forces with unmatched speed and ferocity (Halo: Chopper). What makes these cycles different from their predecessors is the presence of dual wheels on both ends. This allows Dynamos to handle more armor and equipment a Vulture ever could, such as the specialized Neosteel armor used to maximize resilience to attack while mantaining high speed and maneuverability. Modified Hi-Sec Auto Tracking and lightspeed processing give Dynamos unparalleled precision and reflexes on the ground (Terminator: Moto-Terminator). For offense, two Ionic pulse cannons are mounted on each side. Energy pulses fired from a Dynamo are capable of damaging both ground and air targets equally making them great in hit-and-run and anti-air defense operations. Dynamos are one of the few units that gain new powers when Interfaced with a Cog. While Interfaced, Cogs augment their speed with modified Chrono Boost technology. At supersonic speeds, Dynamos appear to leave a trail of light in their wake making it nearly impossible to attack them while moving (Tron: Light Cycle). Due to the size of the chrono field, a small group of friently units can draft along side interfaced Dynamos increasing the mobility of hit-and-run groups. The field also has the added effect of shifting the mass of anything within it slightly out of phase from normal space. Chrono Boosted scouting parties simply bypass obstructions and into the heart of enemy bases wreaking havoc along the way (DC Comics: Flash). The only drawbacks units in Overdrive are need to exit the field before attacking and specialized weapons still capable of effecting them. Special abilities: *Overdrive (INTERFACE) - unit speed is increased to maximum. Friendly units within a 3x3 matrix can draft with the interfaced unit and phase through obstacles such as Supply Depots and Destructible Rocks. Units within the field need to exit it before attacking Enforcer After reviewing all three major Koprulu races, the Vaul constucted a list of all the strengths and weakness of their respective seige units. For the Terran Seige Tank, its strengths were in firepower and average armor. Its weaknesses were its lack of mobility and long cooldown period in seige mode. For Ultralisks, their main strength was in their greater endurance againts all forms of weaponry. Their main weakness was their "low" attack that needed to be supplimented with the firepower of a Guardian. For Reavers, they had the greatest amount of firepower of the three and the greatest number of weaknesses. Firstly, they needed to expend resources to build their ammunition. Second, Reavers had stamina that was weaker than a Seige Tank after exposure to an EMP. Lastly, they were one of the slowest ground units in the Protoss arsenal. Taking into account all these factors, the Vaul developed Enforcer tanks to add heavy artillery power to their ground forces in both seige and support roles. Appearing as an H-shape bug, Enforcers are a hybridized version of Seige tanks and Reavers (Command and Conquer: Scrin Harvester). Each tank has anti-gravity emitters on the bottom to allow maximum speed and maneuverability over any suface (Halo: Wraith). To prevent from being weighed down, Pranzer have the armor of a Banshee that work in tandem with Zealot level shields. For offense, Enforcers Tanks use a rotating turret on top. These saucer-shaped turrets have three plasma disk launchers that fire in a gattling-like action (Universe at War: Saucer). Each disk hits with a force rivaling the firepower of a Protoss Archon. Enemy buildings are usually annihilated after constant plasma bombardment. When interfaced with a Cog, the plasma turrets transform into heavy shield emitters that can form a Geodesic energy dome over several units similar to a Sentry's Guardian Shield (Starcraft II Mothership development: Time Bomb). Under this Plasma dome, friendly units can take cover from enemy artillery in order to repair/recharge themselves before re-engaging in battle. Interfaced Enforcers act as mobile bunkers allowing friendly ranged units to attack from within, while taking the brunt of enemy fire. Ground forces are practically invulnerable to enemy air strikes while under the dome. The only flaws to this ability is that alters the Enforcer's only weapon rendering them incapable of attacking on their own. Another flaw to these shields is that they cannot prevent enemy units from entering and attacking Enforcers directly in order to take down the shield more easily (Star Wars - Episode I: Deflector shields and Gungan Grand Army). Despite this, Plasma Domes are powerful enough to withstand nuclear strikes and fully charged prismatic beams without dropping (Halo 3: Bubble Shield). Special Abilities: *Plasma Dome (INTERFACE) - covers the area with an energy dome invulnerable to all ranged weapons and special effects. Friendly units can still attack while under the shield. Shield does not prevent enemy units from entering and attacking the Enforcer Juggernaut Reviewing Data on the First and Brood Wars, the Vaul wanted to see just how every major battle was won and lost by what race and how. In the First war, it was a combination of teamwork and superior tactics that lead to the Overmind's destruction. In the Brood War, it was found that brute strength and superior numbers that lead to the Zerg's victory against the more technologically advance races in the galaxy (Stargate Atlantis: Wraith). No matter the case, the Vaul felt that they needed a unit that could adapt to any situation while retaining the ability to inflict great losses to enemy forces. For this reason, the Juggernaut-series heavy artillery mech was developed to give their ground forces extra firepower in the field. Imitating the Zerg's habit of morphing harmiless creatures to monstrosities, the Vaul based the Juggernaut's form off the Koprulu critter known as a Rhynadon. Searching for other creatures to enhance Juggernaut capabilities, the Vaul sent the heralds to find planets with beasts of equal or greater ferocity. After locating a planet with unusual properties and creatures, the heralds located a species designated as Thunder lizards that fitted their requirements. Complementing their plasma shields is 30cm of reinforced Neosteel armor plating which gives Juggernauts resilence comparable to Zerg Cocoons. Low caliber weaponry yields little damage to the armor, which makes hit and run attacks practically useless without heavy fire support. Against swarming tactics, Juggernauts use flamethrowers in their mouths to burn craters through enemy lines. The flamethrower activates by charging radioactive gas within the Juggernauts as indicated by six small power generators on its back glowing before spewing out plasma flames (Godzilla: Atomic Breath). Within a fraction of a second, a fully armored Marine is incinerated to the bone before being vaporized. Even Protoss and Zerg buildings are vulnerable to being burned down by the intensty of the Juggernaut's flamethrower, but this is only a fraction of what the unit is fully capable of. Using Terran transformation technology, Juggernauts can morph into powerful mechs capable of fighting an Ultralisk servo-to-claw on equal footing (Transformers: Dinobots). In this form Juggernauts resembles a Goliath/CMC armor hybrid with crystal plates on the back. Their heads consist mainly of two Khaydrian Crystal Plates used to sense the presence of enemies in a variety of ways including infrared and psionic vision (Predator: Bio Mask; Star Trek: VISOR). Only advanced cloaking technology can hide units from a Juggernaut. While not as heavily armored as their default mode, Juggernauts are more mobile capable of making tremendous jumps across gaps (Beast Wars: The Spark). In Assault-mode Juggernauts are armed with a heavy Antimatter grenade laucher. Built for semi-automatic fire, these weapons can blast apart armor and shields with maximum efficiency, or cleave enemies in half with an energy blade for maximum brutality (Starcraft - silly articles: Tauren marine; Mass Effect 2: M-100 Grenade Launcher). A group of Juggernauts lay waste to a small army or several heavy tanks with relative ease depending on what mode they are in. Special abilities: *Juggernaut Mode (Default) - unit attacks with a flamethrower and is immune to spells **Attack Bonus: +15 damage vs light armor **Armor: 10 *Assult Mode - unit attacks with a plasma ax, but immunity to spells is lost **Leap (passive) - unit can leap over gaps and platforms **Attack Bonus: +15 damage vs heavy armor **Armor: 5 Air Ramrod Producing a working starfighter to match the other air forces of Koprulu is no small feet. One thing to factor in is the total cost of building a single fighter. For the Zerg, they tended to mutate their flyers by the handful with approximately the same number of resources. While the Vaul are capable of constructing powerful ships for aerospace domination, they are still very expensive to build like the Protoss. This could be potential fatal as enemy forces could attack bases and shipyards, while frigates and battleships are in the middle of being built. To counter this flaw, the Vaul decided on developing the Ramrod-series assault fighter. Because of their high level of maneuverability and versatility, the Vaul decided to base their new fighters off Protoss Interceptor and Corsair schmatics (Starcraft II concepts: Escort). Rescaled to roughly the same size of a Mutalisk, s retain most of their predecessor's speed and mobility with greater enduance and firepower. Armed with twin anti-proton casters, these small fighters can harass and destroy both ground and air targets. Despite their size, Ramrods are equipped with powerful shield generators giving them endurance equivalent to an Arbiter. This prevents stationary defenses from quickly destroying them due to their relatively small health. Usually found in large wolf packs, Ramrods are often side-by-side more specialized attack craft to close off any weaknesses. Ramrods can also Interface with other air units by transforming into a powerful attachment. While equipped, Interfaced units usually gain the fighter's powerful shield to bolster their own defenses (Transformers: Skyboom shield). Though not invinicible, the extra shield power makes anything interfaced with Ramrods practically a flying Ultralisk. Some units are capable of gaining extra power or weapons while combined with these fighters. Special abilities: *Interface/Eject - units gain 150+ Shield Points, and +50 Energy (for spellcasters). Can unlock new weapons for certain units Darkstar Even with the versatile Ramrod fighters, the Vaul still needed a heavy aerospace support unit that could complement the smaller crafts. Despite the firepower of their ground forces, they were still limited in mobility against enemy air units. In order to find the nessesary qualities to being construction, simulations began with data on air units from all three Koprulu race. Terran Wraiths and Valkries were bulky and primative, but still capable of handling themselves against more advanced foes. As for the Protoss, their advanced ships tended to criple entire squadrons once constructed, which was often longer than the other two races. The Vaul wanted a fighter that was both powerful and relatively quick to build. Hybridizing the most advanced weapons technology from Terran, Protoss, and Xel'Naga archives, the Vaul created the Darkstar-series corvette to fill this role. Darkstars resemble a forked double-edged blade with a retractable gravitic engines on each side (Ratcher and Clank: Aphelion; Star Trek: Intrepid class). Like all Vaul units, the ship is the pilot (Battlestar Galactica: Raider; Star Wars: Vulture droid). Thanks to psionic crystal circuitry, Darkstars can think and react faster than any Terran or Protoss pilot could in a fraction of a nano-second. These fighters are equipped with dual dark matter crystal lauchers for heavy air engagements. Each shard fired from these lauchers is charged with psionic energy that allows it to move at near lightspeeds. Impacts from these shards is roughly equal to a Protoss Scout's antimatter missle. Inspired by the ability for Zerg Flyers to produce their own weapons, Darkstars reload themselves by using crytal growth technology that ensures a virtually endless supply of ammunition. This specialization of is good against medium to large capital ships; however, it leaves Darkstars open to attacks from smaller, more mobile fighter crafts. To eliminate this flaw, Ramrods interface with Darkstars to unlock a powerful Gravition projector designated as the Vorpal Bluster. Once activated, it fires a crescent-shaped wave motion that slashes through everything in its path (Megaman: Slash Claw). Enemy air units not pulverized by the wave remain temporarily charged with gravitions. The intense gravitational forces emitted by those affected not only limits movement, but it also causes anything close enough to be attracted to them. This effectively creates a large, slow moving target for allied units to attack with relative ease. By merging their Interface technology with the Terran's transformation technology, the Vaul have made it possible to create a machine with unparalleled strength. Special abilities: *Wave Motion (INTERFACE) - unit gains a wave attack that deals 80 splash damage. Units not destroyed slow down by 50% and attract near by units forming a cluster. Each cluster is treated as a single heavy/massive unit *Zenith Formation - combines with 1 Vulcan to create a Zenith Vulcan While observing records of Zerg Guardians, Terran Wraiths and Protoss Scouts against heavy ground units, the Vaul felt the need to research on air-to-ground assult technology. Even with advanced technology, Wraiths and Scouts needed to work in packs to wear down an Ultralisk or burn down a building. Enemy infantry tended to run for cover before any significant damage could be inflicted. Once one unit was destroyed, cavalry would arrive in large numbers to send the attacking ships into retreat. All these factors were taken into account before the Vaul developed the Vulcan-series long-range bomber. Merging Terran blueprints with Protoss ones, the Vulcan is best descirbed as an upside down Siege Tank. Each vessel is equiped with a powerful Particle Cannon that has the same amount of fire power as an Archon. The cannon is box-like instead of round in order to focus the beam for long-ranged attacks (Transformers Animated: Shockwave). Thanks to the blast being so concentrated, Vulcans can hit targets at twice the range of regular Siege Tanks. This is good for both siege and sniper attacks against enemy forces. Small scouting units can spot for a Vulcan, while the enemy is left wondering where the blasts are coming from. As great as they are against ground forces, Vulcans are completely defenseless against air attacks. If left unescorted, Vulcans can be slaughtered in a head on battle with the newer fighters of the three Koprulu races. So it is not uncommon to find them accompanied by serveral Ramrods or Darkstars. When Interfaced with Ramrods, the Vulcan's Particle Cannons gain the ability to shoot psionically charged firebombs. On impact with the ground, the bombs explode with twice the force of a Terran Seige Tank 120 mm cannon. After detonation, the psionic flames released turn everything they engulf to ash (Naruto: Amaterasu). Buildings affected by the flames slowly burn no matter how small the damage they have taken. This is useful for crippling structures responsible for training, constructing, growning, or warping in units. Anything created by a burning structure comes out burning which puts a strain on enemy healers. Interfaced Vulcans are especially effective against structures necessary for maintaining units due to its psionic nature. Pylons and Creep producing structures spread the flames over a wider area causing anything nearby to burn. Even Supply Depots spread the flames through burning debris upon destruction. This makes Interfaced Vulcans experts in scorched earth tactics. The Vaul added specialized Terran transformation technology hybridized with their own interface technology into the Vulcan's design. This allows them to interface with more than just one Darkstar, opening up a new tactical advantage against any race. With all this combined, Vulcan bombers gives new meaning to death from above. Special abilities: *Scorch (INTERFACE) - Vulcan gains a 100 splash damage attack that leaves psionic flames on targets that survive. Affected units and structures lose 10 (+5 vs armored) per second for 30 seconds. Area of affect increases by +3 against structures responsible for supply/psi/control/etc *Zenith Formation - combines with 4 Darkstars to create a Zenith Aurora The Vaul had created many ground units to rival the other three races in speed, adaptability, and power. Some of their units required additional armor to weather some of the most extreme conditions. This had the unfortunate effect of making them difficult to transport efficiently and siliently. Enemy defenses could shoot down a transport without target lock and destroy what could be essential for retreat or reiforcement. The Vaul needed a way to transport ground forces while minimizing the chance of losing them under enemy attack. To resolve these problems, the Vaul converted schematics of an obsolete Protoss vessel they aquired into the Aurora-series transports. Replacing the antiquated thrusters with six advanced gravitic wings, Auroras are made for high speed maneuverability in the most extreme situations (Halo Wars: Super Sentinel concept; Star Wars: Firespray). Two of the main wings are strictly for movement, while the other four have been equipped with plasma transferance technology. Similar to a Plasma Battery and Medivac Dropship, Auroras use psionic energy emitters to recharge shields of allied units and structures (Gundam SEED - Destiny: Deuterion Beam Energy Transfer System). In combat support roles, Auroras can increase unit endurance substantially as long as the ones being recharged are not attacked. In base defense, the beams can help sustain buildings until Quicksilver can repair any damage taken. Auroras are medium sized crafts to minimize damage taken by stationary defenses. To compensate for its lack of space, they use matter-energy conversion technology to digitally store and transport a number of their units in a fraction of a second. This is helpful in picking up and dropping off troops in vitually any situation, making Auroras ideal for both scouting and infiltration missions (Stargate Atlantis: Wraith Dart). Special abilities: *Energize (autocast) - automatically recharges Plasma Shields of friendly targets at a rate of 10 points per energy. Can work on any unit and/or structure within sight. Target Shields can not be recharged while under attack Sovereign While Centurions worked well as both the air and ground commanders, the Operators felt that a less independent unit was needed to help achieve maximum efficiency. Thanks to the high level of autonomy granted to the Centurion and Maverick A.I.s, they could adapt and create stratagies to virtually any situation. The only drawback to this is that an independence streak could threaten to hinder the effectiveness of their forces should commanders become overly emotional. As a result, the Sovereign-series Command ship was developed to extend the Operator's influence over battles. Sovereigns appear as asymmetrical ships with one side larger than the other (Star Trek - DS9: Breen warship). On one end possess an advanced antenna array that is primarily used in detecting hidden units (Command & Conquer: Scrin vessel). When charged, it sends out an energy wave that can connect friendly units in an artifical psionic link. While linked, the Sovereign helps sort out irrelevent information and maximize unit COHESION during combat. Coordinated units are able to inflict greater damage to enemy forces while at the same time avoid the brunt of their attacks (Warcraft III: Creeps with Command Aura; Gundam Wing: ZERO System; Star Wars: Droid control ship). For situations that require more complex commands, Sovereigns can upgrade their units to HONOR GUARD status. Affected units gain extra firepower, armor and enhanced plating composed of purple energy (Starcraft II: Monolith Development; Mass Effect 2: Tech Armor). This plating, also called Null armor, neutalizes or reduce the effects of most special weaponry. Honor Guards represent the Vaul equivalent to Terran Mercenaries and Zerg Specialist strains. Using an enemy's own strength against them has always been a popular tactic in warfare. During the First Great War and Brood War, Protoss Mind Control and Zerg Infestation have always been devastating to each of the three dominant Koprulu races. Equipped with modified matter-energy conversion technology, Sovereigns supplement their forces by ANNEXING enemy units and structures. This not only increases their options in battle, it greatly cripples enemies in both combat strength and morale (Star Trek: V'Ger and Borg). Special abilities: *DETECTOR - can detect cloaked and burrowed units *COHESION - nearby units increase in attack rate and speed by 50% *HONOR GUARD - unit gain +25% Health, +50% attack, and Null armor *ANNEX - transforms units and/or structures in an area into their mirror counterparts Zenith All engagements involving Hybrids have resulted in heavy losses for the other races. To avoid repeating the same mistakes with the Protoss and Zerg, research into countermeasures was given top priority. Recent advances in Protoss technology and Zerg evolutions have had only marginal effects in virtual simulations. The Vaul found their own units to be vastly inadequate against fully developed Hybrids. With all options quickly being exhausted, the Vaul finally turned to the unconventional tactics of the Terrans for inspiration. During their research, nothing satisfactory could be found in any of the official and classified military data they aquired. It was not until they stumbled across Terran software designated as The Lost Viking did a means of combating the Hybrids appear. Intrigued by data on something called the Terra-tron, the Vaul were reminded of the merging of Protoss Templars into Archons. This concept of smaller components combining into a more powerful entity not only formed the basis of Interface technology, it began the development of Project: Zenith. When a Vulcan and four Darkstars combine into a Zenith, their crystal cores merge and create intense chain reaction of psionic energy. This sudden influx of psionic energy warps time and space in the area. Using matter-energy conversion, Zeniths reform themselves into a gestalt battleship the size of a Terran Colony ship (Transformers - Cybertron: Ark). In this form, Zeniths attack with psionically charged dark matter crystals fired from each Darkstar. Salvos of these hybrid crystals tear through any form of defense and explode with great force. Due to their psionic nature, the crystals can be used to annihilate squadrons of light to medium air targets, heavy bombardment, or a combination of both (Stargate: Aurora-class battleship and Drone weapon). Utilizing the Vulcan's Canon to continuously form crystals, Zenith's have almost infinite amounts of artillery. The only limits to this form is its inability to deal heavy damage to more armored targets. Which is easily retified by transforming into their secondary form. Roughly based off copied Terran Viking schematics, Zeniths can transform into a massive humanoid mech for ground based combat (Transformers: Combiner). With shields are at full power, they can surpass an Odin in endurance. It would take a fleet of no less than ten Battlecruisers firing their Yamato Guns at once to take down a fully shielded Zenith. Diverting power from propulsion systems, these mechs fire concentrated ion blasts from their arm mounted cannons. Each blast can obliterate a Thor-class mech in one shot, while Ultralisks and Battlecruisers can be destroyed in two. Similar to flight mode, a Zenith in assault mode is more suited to single targets rather than multiple. To rectify these limits, they can be escorted by smaller fighers to avoid being swarmed. A small squadron of three Zeniths can easily lay waste to any enemy base within minutes. In some conditions, Zeniths can separate back into their component parts effectively boosting their numbers at a cost of firepower (Star Trek - Voyager: Prometheus class Starship). This is tactically effective in confusing enemy forces who specialize in forcing on singular targets. There are drawbacks to separation, one of which is that it causes a type of energy feedback depleting all Plasma Shielding until recharged. Furthermore, the molecular strain of growing and shrinking is so intense, each component needs time to adjust before combining again. During this time, their structural integrity is weakened to the point of taking extra damage from any form of attack. Because of all these dangers, multiple failsafes are in place to prevent separation after a certain amount of damage is taken while in Zenith formation. Even so, Zeniths are practically impossible to take down without sustaining heavy casualties. Special abilities: *Zenith Mode (default - air): **Separate - unit can disconnect into its component parts (1 Vulcan and 4 Darkstars). Each component loses all Plasma Shielding and must wait 15 seconds before they can combine back into a Zenith. If Zenith has lost more than 50% health, it cannot seperate until repaired **Attacks multiple targets with salvos of 20 crystal shards each dealing 10 damage (+10 vs light) *Assault Mode (ground): **Unit attacks with a single ion blast dealing 350 damage (+200 vs Massive) Hero Units *Aegis - Doomsday Machine *Centurion - Field Commander *Titan - Elite Planetary Defender *Nemesis - Psionic Warfare Agent Category: Xel'Naga Relics